JOI Session | Nov. 6, 2009

At Friday’s JOI session, fellows revisited the art of the 1:1, paying special attention to the role agitation plays in these intentional meetings. Together with Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, the group discussed what makes a good agitation, including respectful pushing, trust and the ability to tie action to a developing leader’s self-interest. We also read from the Book of Esther, in which Mordecai agitates his cousin Esther to act in her own self-interest and that of her family to defend the Jews from potential annihilation. Agitation can be the tool that turns on the light bulb for people who have accepted powerlessness in their lives or with regard to a particular issue. By changing the way others think about circumstances they have accepted as unchangeable, organizers can begin to build power and develop new leaders.